Africa’s fast-growing virtual cinema platform, Circuits, has ignited new debate about economic reform in Nollywood with the announcement of a pioneering welfare scheme that guarantees monthly lifetime payments and comprehensive health insurance for ageing film icons.
The initiative, revealed during a roundtable with senior journalists in Lagos, aims to correct decades of financial neglect in Nigeria’s multi-billion-naira film industry. According to the company, the move is part of a wider push to use digital cinema as a catalyst for national economic growth.
Chief Operating Officer of Circuits, Imade Bibowei-Osuobeni, said the scheme—known as the Film Veterans’ Dignity Fund—will initially support three Nollywood legends: Chief Pete Edochie, Idowu Philips (Iya Rainbow), and Chief Lere Paimo. The programme, she emphasised, is not a charitable gesture but a long-overdue corrective measure.
“This is not charity; it is an economic responsibility,” she said. “The men and women who built Nollywood’s cultural wealth deserve lifetime dignity, not abandonment.”
Bibowei-Osuobeni described the Fund as Nollywood’s first private-sector, recurring welfare framework, designed specifically for veterans aged 70 and above. She said the initiative would expand in phases as new partnerships emerge.
“For decades, the industry relied on informal systems,” she noted. “Weak contracts, inconsistent royalties, and piracy wiped out incomes. The new economy must honour old creators while building sustainable pathways for emerging ones.”
Digital cinema as a growth engine
The COO outlined Circuits’ plan to position African cinema as a regional economic force through virtual distribution. She described Circuits as the continent’s first truly pan-African digital cinema—offering scheduled, pay-per-view film releases that replicate the traditional movie-going experience while protecting creators’ earnings.
“When you buy a film on Circuits, you’re paying for a scheduled seat, not random access,” she said, adding that the platform’s limited-release model boosts scarcity value and improves producer returns.
Despite these gains, she said piracy remains the industry’s most damaging threat. “In one day, we can record 10,000 infringements and take down more than 9,900 within minutes. In under a year, we removed over one million illegal links. Without this fight, creators cannot earn what they deserve.”
State-backed creative development
Circuits is also working with state governments to unlock new economic opportunities. Ekiti State became the first to commit $15 million to the Ekiti State Creative Impact Fund, designed to train residents, produce state-owned content, and generate fresh internally generated revenue (IGR).
“Fifteen other states are in the pipeline,” she confirmed. “This is not another government project; it is a commercially anchored system that creates jobs, strengthens state finances, and equips young people with paid digital skills.”
The rollout begins in January, with thousands of youths expected to enter creative and technical employment tracks.
Community cinema and mass-market testing
In December, Circuits will launch an ambitious distribution pilot for Agesinkole: King of Thieves Part 2, in partnership with Blue Pictures. The community-cinema model will take the movie to halls, town squares, and event centres across the South-West, with ticket prices set at ₦3,000 outside Lagos and ₦4,000 within the state.
“This is an economic inclusion model,” she said. “We want grassroots families to access Nigerian cinema at a price they can afford.”
The platform will also stream AFCON matches free to more than 100,000 people on its waitlist, part of what Bibowei-Osuobeni described as “testing mass-market digital behaviour in a tough economy.”
A new Kids’ Corner is scheduled for launch in January to expand family-oriented viewing and strengthen subscription value.
Strengthening creative and tourism industries
Through a partnership with NIHOTOUR, Circuits is rolling out digital training programmes for Nigeria’s hospitality and tourism workforce, expanding another job-creating value chain. Its youth-focused LaunchPad programme has already onboarded more than 1,600 trainees, with hundreds earning stipends in digital marketing, content operations, customer support, and technical roles across over 25 states.
“Our goal is one million young Nigerians empowered within 18 months,” she said. “Creativity and digital work are now economic lifelines.”
Bibowei-Osuobeni said Circuits’ long-term ambition is to anchor a unified ecosystem connecting creative industries, technology, and tourism—one she believes could redefine economic opportunities across Africa.
